On Tuesday – the last day Akin could legally request his name be removed from the November ballot – the congressman set out on a bus tour of the state. His move defied calls from a number of Republicans and GOP groups - including his state's Republican party - to quit the race, concerned his continued candidacy would challenge their chances of winning control of the Senate.- Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker

"If Republicans are to win back the Senate and stop President Obama's liberal agenda, we must defeat Senator Claire McCaskill in Missouri," they wrote, criticizing her for supporting Obama's health reform law.

"Todd Akin is a principled conservative who is committed to winning and fighting for freedom in the U.S. Senate," they continued. "Todd will work to stop reckless spending, stop the out of control debt, repeal the government takeover of healthcare, support our military and defend life at every stage."

DeMint, the junior senator from South Carolina, is a favorite of tea party supporters and Santorum won the GOP primary in Missouri, winning the popular vote in every county and overall beating the eventual GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney by 30 points.

Akin rose to prominence after saying in an August interview that pregnancy as a result of rape, "from what I understand from doctors, that's really rare."

"If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down," he continued. Days later, the Republican ran a TV ad in which he said "I used the wrong words in the wrong way and for that I apologize."

A Wednesday email sent from Santorum's group, Patriot Voices, to supporters ahead of the official announcement included a link to donate to Akin's campaign.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee had originally planned to withdraw financial support for Akin, CNN learned in August. But a Wednesday statement from the group's executive director said the NRSC would be watching the race.

"As with every Republican Senate candidate, we hope Todd Akin wins in November and we will continue to monitor this race closely in the days ahead," Rob Jesmer said in a statement.

Although the NRSC did not commit to financially backing Akin, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee fired back blasting "statement by national Republicans in support of Todd Akin."

"Their decision to support Akin should leave zero doubt in anyone's mind that the Republican Party and the candidates they support are downright dangerous for women," Sen. Patty Murray, the group's chair, wrote in a statement. "I expected more, but sadly, Todd Akin represents the official position of the Republican Party. All Republican Senate candidates support a Republican agenda that would pose a serious threat to women and inflict Todd Akin's extreme views on our country."

Earlier in the day, the DSCC press secretary, Shripal Shah, wrote that, "No one should've been fooled by the party's faux outrage and their ensuing change of course because as the Republican establishment is making clear today, the Akin backlash was never about principle, it was purely about politics."

The independent political analysts at the Cook Political Report and Rothenberg political report says the race is "likely" or "leaning" in McCaskill's favor.

Since leaving the presidential race, Santorum has endorsed a number of candidates for Senate seats, including Texan Ted Cruz and Indiana State Treasurer Richard Mourdock.

soundoff(54 Responses)

Stay in the race Akin, and do not back down from you assertions and statements about "forcible rape".
You are a Republican, doggone it, and people need to hear what you have to say!
LOL!

September 26, 2012 10:59 am at 10:59 am |

Anonymous

Thanks Jim and Rick for helping me out...I was gonna vote for Todd but now I know not to.

September 26, 2012 11:01 am at 11:01 am |

Andrew

"Todd Akin is a principled conservative who is committed to winning and fighting for freedom in the U.S. Senate,"
______

Unless you are a woman.

September 26, 2012 11:02 am at 11:02 am |

sonny chapman

Heck, why not? They all share the same World View.

September 26, 2012 11:13 am at 11:13 am |

Ken

They CAN'T be serious!!!!!!!!!

September 26, 2012 11:15 am at 11:15 am |

Who cares?

Who cares who DeMint and Santorum endorse? Akin is going to lose to McCaskil. Most Republicans have written off this seat. Santorum and Gingrich are funny – They're the only ones who don't see how irrelevant they are.

September 26, 2012 11:16 am at 11:16 am |

once upon a horse

this guy just might win in Missouri...I grew up there and outside of St. Louis and Kansas City that state is almost totally RED. The election power in that state is rural, conservative, white and religious. What he said there are many that support it just won't come out and say it. Sad to say my once homestate is becoming like South Carolina, Mississippi, and my current state of Texas not very open minded nor educated.

September 26, 2012 11:18 am at 11:18 am |

ja

are ew surprised, birds of the same feather sticks together, a large portion of america has slanted viewpoints

September 26, 2012 11:22 am at 11:22 am |

SFRich

As Forrest Gump would likely say, "Stupid is as stupid does."

September 26, 2012 11:23 am at 11:23 am |

luke,az

The Republican party is not the party of my fathers era. A party once composed of great statesmen is now filled with people like Newt Gingrich,Todd Akin and Willard Romney.

September 26, 2012 11:27 am at 11:27 am |

HOLY TIGHTY WHITIES WILLARD

What else would you expect from Deminted and St. Santorum? They're jumping on the Newt bandwagon.

September 26, 2012 11:40 am at 11:40 am |

truth hurts

Hey, let the people of Missouri decide who they want. ObamaClaire sure isn't going to vote to repeal Obamacare! Get rid of her Missouri!!

September 26, 2012 11:42 am at 11:42 am |

vic , nashville ,tn

“"If Republicans are to win back the Senate and stop President Obama's liberal agenda,”

Mean Romney can’t win the White house or they don’t want Romney to win the White house
Far right never like Romney

September 26, 2012 11:43 am at 11:43 am |

snowyowl

Santorum supports him. That pretty much says it all. Still searching without success for the intellectual wing of the Republican party.

September 26, 2012 11:45 am at 11:45 am |

Jim

Akin must be leading in the polls, otherwise CNN would be leading with the numbers. CNN had to do an attack piece to help the democrat, no wonder 47% of the country does not believe CNN anymore

September 26, 2012 11:46 am at 11:46 am |

Marty, FL

Where is Ryan's endorsement? Considering he co-sponsored 'forcible'/legitimate rape with Akin. Reprehensible.

September 26, 2012 11:50 am at 11:50 am |

vj

Santo and DeMinted? I thought the title said Big support??

September 26, 2012 11:52 am at 11:52 am |

Gregory Joyner

Republicans don't get it

September 26, 2012 11:52 am at 11:52 am |

Mike Texoma

As if the "Makers v. Takers" 47% remarks were not bad enough, now these twits endorse Todd Aikin, the public antithisis of a woman's right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If women ever catch on that this is the Republican mainstream these days (see the party plartform plank) the Republicans are going to have to enact legislation to barricade women from voting booths in addition to old people and minorities.

September 26, 2012 11:53 am at 11:53 am |

ray

Being void of common sense is no excuse for blatant nonsense pouring from ones mouth.

September 26, 2012 11:53 am at 11:53 am |

johnmenacherjr

I thought he was toting the official opinion all along! Ok Romney now what we all have seen and heard enough.

September 26, 2012 11:56 am at 11:56 am |

ChristopherM

That is a bit like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson endorsing Jimmy Swaggart.

September 26, 2012 11:57 am at 11:57 am |

a little sad

Andrew

"Todd Akin is a principled conservative who is committed to winning and fighting for freedom in the U.S. Senate,"
______

Unless you are a woman.

In Romney's words, "Spot on!".

September 26, 2012 11:58 am at 11:58 am |

The REAL Truth...

If Akin such a "principled conservative who is committed to winning and fighting for freedom in the U.S. Senate", then he should support the Republican healthcare plan (including the individual mandate) known as ACA.
If Todd Akin will "work to stop reckless spending, stop the out of control debt" why is he running as a Republican. Simple research shows that the GOP has HISTORICALLY been the root cause of both of these problems, not the Dems.
Obama has no liberal agenda.. he's not taking away your guns, nor turning the US into a socialist country. He's attempting to correct the MASSIVE RECESSION handed to him by the GOP. Simple economics (look it up) requires that the govt be the lender of last resort and stimulate the economy when the private sector will not. Hence the continuation of the Bush tax cuts for the middle class and the stimulus plan.

But according to the GOP, deficits don't matter. Guess that's why Dubya's last budget had the largest in history ($1.47 TRILLION) and Ryan/Romney want to add another $5 TRILLION to it to pay for the 20% tax cut for their 1% friends. Yet the GOP talking heads whine that Obama didn't meet his campaign promise of cutting the deficit by 50%. I guess a 38% reduction – even with TOTAL GOP filibustering/blocking – isn't good enough?

September 26, 2012 12:00 pm at 12:00 pm |

truth hurts

luke,az - The Republican party is not the party of my fathers era. A party once composed of great statesmen is now filled with people like Newt Gingrich,Todd Akin and Willard Romney.
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The Democrat Party is not the party of JFK anymore either. The party is now nothing but leftists/"progressives" like Pelosi, Reid, Barney Frank, Al Franken, etc. They need to rename the party to the Democrat Socialist Party.